Encore Athens to Athens Oct 16-30 live-ish

[calm down dear]

Day 7 : Bozcaada , a sparkly autumnal arrival off an island close to the Dardanelles. Breakfast was busy with seemingly many excursions today, of which we were one, to the ancient city/ruins of Troy. We usually arrange our own stuff preferring not to be at the pace of the slowest but as there is very little on Bozcaada which is a small island and we didn’t really want to brave ferry and then taxi we took the tour. Now aside from the tour destination, we were reminded of all the reasons we dislike tours : asked to be in salon by 9, names ticked off and told where to sit, 10 mins after 9 the tour groups had got mixed up, sorted with some waving and down to a tender. 10 mins on tender, off tender to various buses and queues. Told to join a queue which was a queue for tour guide person to check tickets. Now this is where the source app infuriating as many couldn’t work out how to show, some had put their phone away at base of cavernous bags, others said it was on their husbands etc The queue inched forward and all given a tour guide and a number. Then a walk to a car ferry, another 30min wait until 1015, across on ferry 30 mins and then onto a bus 30 mins. There were 3 buses and all I’d say about 2/3 full. Our tour guide was again “informative” in that talked non-stop for 30mins. Then on arrival at Troy the gates were problematic in that our ‘tickets” could only be scanned at one gate that took ages in single file. We then had a marshalled hour or so around the site, scolded if we moved too fast or too slow with lots of come here, go there, can you hear me etc. Then back on bus where a boxed meal - if I’m being charitable - was handed to us comprising of cold cauliflower and onion salad, fruit salad, muffin and a cheese with pepper roll and a water, all balanced on our laps. It wasn’t tasty or luxury. On the way back the guide  insisted we fill in a survey on a screen and then proceeded to quite aggressively push for tips for driver, an assistant and himself. Not a discrete - “if you want to leave a tip there is a box at front etc but the full-on times have been hard etc etc” This made us uncomfortable as not that the excursion was expensive (it was at 199 each) or that “tips always included” but that we hadn’t got any lira and only 50 euro notes so had to cadge for change from other passengers. Now I suppose the “remind people to tip speech” is hardly an affront and perhaps coming from uk where we do not have this tipping culture it is us that need to not think this is all a bit uncalled for. Being true English people we muttered, felt awkward and paid our dues.

We we’re back in the town after the ferry at 230pm, a quick mooch around quite a pleasant town with market stalls and cafes before tender back. Repairing to Seabourn Square where it was like a zoo, patio had closed and afternoon tea not too 4 so it seemed everyone was there for tea’s, sandwiches, ice-creams and despite a couple of officers passing by no help came to the 2 servers , meanwhile dirty cups etc mounted up and yes staff again cut in line getting food etc. Anyway at this point it was nearly 4 so decided to try the tea in observation bar. It was very well presented, tiny mini sandwiches and cakes, all different and a great selection of tea. Alas the tinkling of piano disturbed by 2 , yes 2 couples loudly FaceTiming with family. You should at least be assured to know that Barb from Phoenix is having a great time but Chuck last night ate too much etc etc - why do people do this ?

[Catlover54]

". . . . Alas the tinkling of piano disturbed by 2 , yes 2 couples loudly FaceTiming with family. You should at least be assured to know that Barb from Phoenix is having a great time but Chuck last night ate too much etc etc - why do people do this ?"

 

They do it because they can, i.e., no  one stops them.  They are in their own little worlds, e.g., "We're paying to have a good time."

 

We also increasingly see this phenomenon in business and hotel VIP lounges and at airports and on airplanes, in "serene" areas of spas, and even in the offices of doctors,  e.g., where people cannot be bothered to use ear buds while they chit chat about inanities with their friends and family.

I remember a SB voyage a few years ago Athens to Istanbul where a well-off looking Turk with his quiet black clad wife quietly sitting nearby, blasted a soccer game, in Turkish, during dinner at The Restaurant -- cheering along as needed.  Even when I asked staff to say something to them, the staff just smiled uncomfortably and did squat.

 

 

 

[SLSD]

3 hours ago, calm down dear said:

Repairing to Seabourn Square where it was like a zoo, patio had closed and afternoon tea not too 4 so it seemed everyone was there for tea’s, sandwiches, ice-creams and despite a couple of officers passing by no help came to the 2 servers , meanwhile dirty cups etc mounted up and yes staff again cut in line getting food etc. Anyway at this point it was nearly 4 so decided to try the tea in observation bar. It was very well presented, tiny mini sandwiches and cakes, all different and a great selection of tea. Alas the tinkling of piano disturbed by 2 , yes 2 couples loudly FaceTiming with family. You should at least be assured to know that Barb from Phoenix is having a great time but Chuck last night ate too much etc etc - why do people do this ?

Wow Calm Down Dear, you are not encouraging us to sign up for our first cruise post pandemic.  The box lunch sounds horrid.  Would you have had the option of hiring a private guide to Troy?  Also, the scanning of tickets through the App sounds unpleasant--while in a  line.   I look forward to hearing about your favorite parts of this cruise.  

Edited October 22, 2022 by SLSD

[calm down dear]

Day 7 continued. We had dinner in the restaurant which was nearly full, the ambiance was poor, we were squeezed yet again in the middle between loud groups. I almost got up but that would be “causing a scene” and is forbidden in England. Again there were staff (not at hosted tables) monopolising good tables of 2 and 4 - I simply do not understand - why are they sat at window tables and in quiet areas where we wanted to sit ? 
Perhaps foolishly I used some obc to buy wine but you now have to specify in advance your few bottles of wine - remembering what you had and only once sat down and only eventually when you fight off the included wines will the sommelier come and then go off to retrieve said wine and come back once you are mid-way through first course. Another premium experience lacking and you can’t ask for it in advance as they say they don’t know where you will be sitting and will only collect it once you arrive. 
I can though see the issues on staffing, we observed lots of special caviar and attention to certain parties and special orders - no one else is told of these things anywhere, this leads to pointing and amending of orders and slows the whole service down. If Seabourn need to save money and help service flow stuff like caviar and all its attendant faffery needs to be charged like the retreat. To get my premium wine refilled I resorted to doing it myself. 
 

[calm down dear]

14 minutes ago, SLSD said:

Wow Calm Down Dear, you are not encouraging us to sign up for our first cruise post pandemic.  The box lunch sounds horrid.  Would you have had the option of hiring a private guide to Troy?  Also, the scanning of tickets through the App sounds horrid--while in a  line.  I look forward to hearing about your favorite parts of this cruise.  

Thanks - the logistics of getting a guide onto the island, take us off it on same ferry etc was quite expensive, usually Troy is done from the mainland port of Canakkale but that’s not where we were. The lunch “on the go” from what I saw sadly was untouched and wasteful - why can’t Seabourn just provide a nice sandwich rather than outsource it ?

I realise cruise critic can bring out the critic, so let me state the positives clearly: we have a normal veranda, it’s spacious, clean and well maintained by 2 smiling stewardesses, Aircon is good and amenities in room very good. There is a variety of food options and drinking options and also deck spaces where you can find quiet - albeit many do have pumped out music but I find a towel placed over speaker works wonders. We like arriving in new places every day. The food we find good to very good, on this cruise it has always been hot (a bugbear of mine) and service is ok to good/well meaning - we do give a lot of credit for the situation and to be clear we have not found “deliberate’ poor service. We like Seabourn as we like we can do our own things and not have paid for “included” tours et 

Are there areas we would improve - yes, are other lines better - not really, we have enjoyed Crystal and Silversea but all have +/-. 

[Catlover54]

29 minutes ago, calm down dear said:

Day 7 continued. We had dinner in the restaurant which was nearly full, the ambiance was poor, we were squeezed yet again in the middle between loud groups. I almost got up but that would be “causing a scene” and is forbidden in England. Again there were staff (not at hosted tables) monopolising good tables of 2 and 4 - I simply do not understand - why are they sat at window tables and in quiet areas where we wanted to sit ? 
Perhaps foolishly I used some obc to buy wine but you now have to specify in advance your few bottles of wine - remembering what you had and only once sat down and only eventually when you fight off the included wines will the sommelier come and then go off to retrieve said wine and come back once you are mid-way through first course. Another premium experience lacking and you can’t ask for it in advance as they say they don’t know where you will be sitting and will only collect it once you arrive. 
I can though see the issues on staffing, we observed lots of special caviar and attention to certain parties and special orders - no one else is told of these things anywhere, this leads to pointing and amending of orders and slows the whole service down. If Seabourn need to save money and help service flow stuff like caviar and all its attendant faffery needs to be charged like the retreat. To get my premium wine refilled I resorted to doing it myself. 
 

 

Sigh.  And this is Encore, not Quest, which is discouraging, as I have read reports that service is better on the bigger ships. Luck of the draw?

 

LOL to your first paragraph, e.g., that "causing a scene" is forbidden in England.  You better not visit NYC 🙂

 

Staff occupying good tables of 2/4 is something I also saw on Quest reecently, as well as the "some pax are more special than others but we will pretend  they are all equal for marketing and social media " phenomena (repeatedly observed by us, but that started before Covid and occurs on some other lines too). 

 

The "premium" wine experience (other than in TK) --  NOT -- was also a pattern, not an exception, on Quest.  You were lucky to get your wine before finishing your appetizer (we were lucky to get it before the entree was done, if we ordered from SB in the Restaurant.

In anticipation of this, we had brought several bottles of our own premium wine on board and served ourselves at our tables on many of the nights, so we had peace of mind (much better price, and way better service) -- we just had to watch out to make sure the staff armed with the generic bottles did not top off our nice wines with their stuff, as we weren't interested in a wine "cocktail mix".

[highplanesdrifters]

21 hours ago, calm down dear said:

Alas the tinkling of piano disturbed by 2 , yes 2 couples loudly FaceTiming with family. You should at least be assured to know that Barb from Phoenix is having a great time but Chuck last night ate too much etc etc - why do people do this ?

They should be forced to walk the plank in shark infested waters.

[brittany12]

CalmDownDear and others  seem to believe the Encore and Ovation are more spacious than the O class ships. In fact they are not.They are only 38 feet longer and 7 feet wider,  and with the extra deck jammed in that adds about 150 passengers as compared to the smaller O ships at 450. Same size pool and deck. Keller is larger. At full capacity of 600, all aboard  will see and feel the difference in the MDR and elsewhere. You say you only have 440 on board, so it seems spacious right now. And in the cooler, windier October weather of the Greek Isles my bet it that there is not a lot of arm wrestling for poolside chairs, as uncomfortable as they are without cushions. But at 440 even in hot weather, it is a lot different at the pool than when the full  600 are aboard. 

[SLSD]

22 minutes ago, brittany12 said:

CalmDownDear and others  seem to believe the Encore and Ovation are more spacious than the O class ships. In fact they are not.They are only 38 feet longer and 7 feet wider,  and with the extra deck jammed in that adds about 150 passengers as compared to the smaller O ships at 450. Same size pool and deck. Keller is larger. At full capacity of 600, all aboard  will see and feel the difference in the MDR and elsewhere. You say you only have 440 on board, so it seems spacious right now. And in the cooler, windier October weather of the Greek Isles my bet it that there is not a lot of arm wrestling for poolside chairs, as uncomfortable as they are without cushions. But at 440 even in hot weather, it is a lot different at the pool than when the full  600 are aboard. 

We've been on board both Ovation and Encore with the full complement of passengers.  We loved the ships--but are not pool people (other than dining around the pool which we had no difficulty doing).  Perhaps those who are hoping for a pool lounger would be happier on the O class ships.  Personally, for us, we loved having the TK Grill Bar and the updated beautiful Observation Lounge (which we found more attractive than on the O ships) .  While we don't eat sushi, we heard many compliments for the sushi restaurant.  I guess there are some trade offs.  We found Sojourn to be not quite the ship as Encore and Ovation.  Others disagree I know--so most won't know until they try both kinds of ships.  

Edited October 23, 2022 by SLSD

[saminina]

Some of this stuff is easily taken care of on your own.   You purchased wine.  Keep it in your suite and carry into wherever you wish to consume it.   Leave whatever is in the bottle with instructions where you next wish to see it.   Seating somewhere you do not want to be?  Move.   Guest lecturers and entertainers, etc.sign contracts that might include full treatment as passengers.  In the past, the ensemble members were excluded from this luxury.  

 

Am boarding Sojourn in sixty days and do not expect to see 90% of the things that are bothering you.  Of course, if 90% of crew faces are new the HD  unknown we might be up for a battle.   But that would be a first.....and last.   Not concerned.   It's like reading posts from three different people on same ship at same time and you would think they are sailing with three different companies.

 

Add....luxury to me is pouring my own wine.  Whether it be the included wine, or off the premium list.  Never a problem for them to set bottle on table and allow me my fun.  

Edited October 23, 2022 by saminina

[calm down dear]

Day 8 - Istanbul , a dawn arrival up the Bosphorus meant an early rise and coffee on the balcony as we manoeuvred into position in the “old” cruise terminal directly below Topkapi Palace in the heart of the old town. Many were ending their cruise here and quite a few seemed to have been on 3-4 weeks. On the next leg we are 340 pax.

This morning the colonnade was even more crowded as I think many there perhaps used the have in-suite service and didn’t on debark day plus it was really quite cold so no-one was outside. 
We had a very pleasant day exploring the old town but also walked across the the newly (and continuing) development of the new port - a sparkly new Peninsula hotel nearly ready. We had a great lunch in Murver on a delightful terrace overlooking the water.

Back on board at 4pm and we had a glorious twilight sail-away.

Dinner tonight in the restaurant and it was noticeably less busy, we got a table near-ish a window, the food and wine good. 
 

[lincslady]

340 passengers sounds perfect.  I haven't looked at the itinerary, but guess it is essentially Greek islands, which should be lovely, especially now that the summer crowds will have gone.  Looking forward to future instalments.

 

You should certainly be able to get a window table for dinner sometimes with  the low number on board.

[JodiandFrank]

CALM DOWN DEAR - I am enjoying your posts and have even learned a few things!  I have always requested bottled water, but never received it....you did....so know I know to be more "forceful" in my ask should I not receive it.  The water on our recent Quest cruise was not nearly as revolting as our Dec/Jan 2019/2020 Ovation Cruise.  For our Quest Cruise I was prepared for the worst and brought along small boxes of "Crystal Light".  For those not familiar, Crystal Light are individually packed powders in a variety of flavors made to put directly into 16.9 ounce water bottles.  A couple of quick shakes and it makes the worst water tolerable.  It's also calorie free and with some good flavors.  Our favorite it Pink Lemonade.  

Keep on posting.....  We board the Sojourn in 12 days and you are getting me even more excited about it!

Edited October 24, 2022 by JodiandFrank

[calm down dear]

Day 9 Myrina , a very pretty island, the sea was flat calm and the 10min tender was very pleasant. It was easy to explore on foot with a castle and cute streets and lots of local shops - we bought some delicious freshly roasted pistachios and some local biscuits.

The demographics on this week are noticeably younger, more 40’s/50’s have replaced the 70’s certainly, including I think perhaps travel agent groups ? Certainly today there was a definite much more party atmosphere with groups of these ladies gorging on caviar and cocktails increasingly unsteadily and raucously through the afternoon.

Another area of contrast from the past - we have no destination type lectures - there is an American lady on board who has done 2 talks but they have been about marrying into a Turkish family, we miss talks on history/geography of where we are sailing.

Back to water - my conclusion is that the “free water” must react with something as - in the interests of those on this board who now decree that I mustn’t grumble - I have found some doesn’t smell but some do, it seems random. Anyway I now find that my preferred choice arrives. Which brings me onto cost savings - I don’t want to insist on Evian , the bottled Greek water in our suites is fine. 
I also haven’t commented on the shows , again we are not big show people preferring the serenity of the square to read etc but heard the magician was well received. 

[SLSD]

1 minute ago, calm down dear said:

Day 9 Myrina , a very pretty island, the sea was flat calm and the 10min tender was very pleasant. It was easy to explore on foot with a castle and cute streets and lots of local shops - we bought some delicious freshly roasted pistachios and some local biscuits.

The demographics on this week are noticeably younger, more 40’s/50’s have replaced the 70’s certainly, including I think perhaps travel agent groups ? Certainly today there was a definite much more party atmosphere with groups of these ladies gorging on caviar and cocktails increasingly unsteadily and raucously through the afternoon.

Another area of contrast from the past - we have no destination type lectures - there is an American lady on board who has done 2 talks but they have been about marrying into a Turkish family, we miss talks on history/geography of where we are sailing.

Back to water - my conclusion is that the “free water” must react with something as - in the interests of those on this board who now decree that I mustn’t grumble - I have found some doesn’t smell but some do, it seems random. Anyway I now find that my preferred choice arrives. Which brings me onto cost savings - I don’t want to insist on Evian , the bottled Greek water in our suites is fine. 
I also haven’t commented on the shows , again we are not big show people preferring the serenity of the square to read etc but heard the magician was well received. 

I've enjoyed your reports--grumbling or not.  Please continue writing exactly what. you see and experience.  I have been reading that the numbers of passengers on most SB ships are far from capacity.  Maybe that is why there are groups of travel agents?  One would expect them to act with decorum and not be raucous.  But, maybe that is too much to ask?

[calm down dear]

Day 10 : Cesme a smooth arrival and a surprise - a berth in a harbour. In this port announcement made saying photo Id required - now I seem to recall our ship id used to have a photo but no more, so we had to go to Seabourn square to have a special Id made, others could use driving licence but I forgot !

This port has an attractive marina and citadel, but the main attraction is the small town of Alcati- meaning red roofs, the lovely tourist office in town arranged a taxi in short order and we set off on the 15min journey. What a quaint town with winding streets, windmills, boutiques and charming restaurants.

Back on board and our new raucous group had taken up singing and meandered unsteadily from whirlpool to table by bar. One staggered by saying she’d had 5 cocktails and 3 tins of caviar and was off to bed (it was 5pm) perhaps she was jetlagged. One thing I will say - it’s a very different atmosphere this week to last.

Another contrast - predinner drinks seem much more diluted - unless you ask tonic etc comes out of some sort of tap and they drown the gin, ditto other long drinks, they no longer serve the spirits with a mixer alongside for you to decide. 
I can’t remember if I mentioned afternoon tea - losing track of days - it was a delight with tiny but flavourful sandwiches and cakes, all served smilingly.

Back to service generally, our conclusion is that they are a bit short staffed in many areas, this really only affects the “timing” of your service, not the quality if you follow. 
 

As I have said before, very happy to answer any questions. Oh nearly forgot the breaking news, apparently Madame Zelda has boarded - sorry I mean Christina Van Wenke who according to the glossy brochure deposited on our bed is waiting for me in the boutique tomorrow to answer all my questions about her latest jewellery collection. 
 

[lincslady]

The travel agents, in my experience, tend to send their new, young, employees on cruises - partly obviously to give them an idea of how things are on board so they can advise customers, and partly to give them lots of incentive.  They do tend to be young women, in search of a good time, not used to top flight inclusive cruising, and can be a bit disruptive.

[Flamin_June]

1 hour ago, calm down dear said:

Another contrast -  unless you ask tonic etc comes out of some sort of tap and they drown the gin, ditto other long drinks, they no longer serve the spirits with a mixer alongside for you to decide. 

😱🤯Final straw piled atop final straw. It's not really an issue as far as pre-dinner drinks go - we tend to have these in our suite as we get dressed for dinner -and presumably there are still  tins or bottles of tonic  to be had in the mini fridge. Not a post prandial  issue for me either, as my after-dinner drinks are usually taken neat, or on ice. But DW absolutely insists that her tonic is on the side so that she has full control and can get it 'just right' (funnily enough she is not that concerned when it comes to porridge). I pity the poor barkeeps who will have to withstand her withering stare. I assume one can ask them to squirt the tonic into a separate tumbler ? Or perhaps a small glass jug?

Edited October 25, 2022 by Flamin_June

[calm down dear]

7 hours ago, Flamin_June said:

😱🤯Final straw piled atop final straw. It's not really an issue as far as pre-dinner drinks go - we tend to have these in our suite as we get dressed for dinner -and presumably there are still  tins or bottles of tonic  to be had in the mini fridge. Not a post prandial  issue for me either, as my after-dinner drinks are usually taken neat, or on ice. But DW absolutely insists that her tonic is on the side so that she has full control and can get it 'just right' (funnily enough she is not that concerned when it comes to porridge). I pity the poor barkeeps who will have to withstand her withering stare. I assume one can ask them to squirt the tonic into a separate tumbler ? Or perhaps a small glass jug?

No, as I said “unless you ask”, basically what used to happen was a generous pour of spirit of choice over ice etc with a separate bottle of mixer presented to you alongside some canapés and nuts etc. Now what you get - unless you ask/specify, is a watery dilution and no nuts etc. I think this is an error, yes saves money but again isn’t how you’d be served in say a 5* hotel bar etc. Again not something to go OTT on but it’s another contrast from before.

[Mr Luxury]

13 hours ago, Flamin_June said:

😱🤯Final straw piled atop final straw. It's not really an issue as far as pre-dinner drinks go - we tend to have these in our suite as we get dressed for dinner -and presumably there are still  tins or bottles of tonic  to be had in the mini fridge. Not a post prandial  issue for me either, as my after-dinner drinks are usually taken neat, or on ice. But DW absolutely insists that her tonic is on the side so that she has full control and can get it 'just right' (funnily enough she is not that concerned when it comes to porridge). I pity the poor barkeeps who will have to withstand her withering stare. I assume one can ask them to squirt the tonic into a separate tumbler ? Or perhaps a small glass jug?

I agree Tonic doesn't really work with porridge.

Wise decision by the wife

[RetiredandTravel]

18 hours ago, calm down dear said:

 

Another contrast - predinner drinks seem much more diluted - unless you ask tonic etc comes out of some sort of tap and they drown the gin, ditto other long drinks, they no longer serve the spirits with a mixer alongside for you to decide. 

 

 

 

Personally I find this outrageous, nothing like a little hint of Coke in your G&T from the mixer gun.

 

What's next Busch Beer on tap with plastic cups?  You only get one plastic cup tho have to be environmentally friendly. 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

Tonic out of the squirt gun.....oh the horrors.

23 hours ago, RetiredandTravel said:

You only get one plastic cup tho have to be environmentally friendly. 

 

They write your name on it with a sharpie so it can last the entire trip.

[RetiredandTravel]

1 hour ago, highplanesdrifters said:

Tonic out of the squirt gun.....oh the horrors.

They write your name on it with a sharpie so it can last the entire trip.

 

 

🥳Great idea.  They could start serving kamikaze shots and pot brownies.  SB could call it the "college themed" cruise and charge more.  toga toga

 

I grew up in NY and was going to go with Utica Club or Genesee Beer but figured it would get lost on the general public.

 

 

[Catlover54]

On 10/25/2022 at 2:29 PM, Flamin_June said:

😱🤯Final straw piled atop final straw. It's not really an issue as far as pre-dinner drinks go - we tend to have these in our suite as we get dressed for dinner -and presumably there are still  tins or bottles of tonic  to be had in the mini fridge. Not a post prandial  issue for me either, as my after-dinner drinks are usually taken neat, or on ice. But DW absolutely insists that her tonic is on the side so that she has full control and can get it 'just right' (funnily enough she is not that concerned when it comes to porridge). I pity the poor barkeeps who will have to withstand her withering stare. I assume one can ask them to squirt the tonic into a separate tumbler ? Or perhaps a small glass jug?

 

Don't count on "neat" for an after-dinner drink either, be specific.

On the Quest a few weeks ago in the theatre, before the show started, the waiter took DH's order for an armagnac (we have fond memories of our rituals of ordering either armagnac or calvados before theatre shows). A few minutes later what was brought was a tall long drink glass, piled high to the top  with ice cubes, and way, way down below, nested a pale and diluted beige substance (presumably the armagnac).  It looked sort of like someone had drunk his tap bar diet coke and left a couple cc at the bottom, along with  all the ice. 

 

DH never ordered it again, so  that saved management some money.   He should have *specifically* asked for it to be served properly (describing each step in detail and hoping that would be transmitted up the chain ), but that was usually not necessary on luxury lines (and even on SB, it was never necessary before). 

[calm down dear]

Day 11 Rhodes : our arrival delayed due to “port congestion” indeed the culprit Odyssey of the Seas and Oceania ship and Ponant. Odyssey is huge and gaudy and I reckon one deck would fit in our passengers !

Last night went to colonnade for Thai night, it was tasty and the spice made a change, the chef cuisine came round tables and was very pleasant. Our wine again took an age but that simply allowed me to savour it more having tasted the included one - which was perfectly ok just made mine even more lovely ! 
Today we had our own driver and visited Limnos, along with most of odyssey it seemed- but the temple and walk up was spectacular, we had warm sun and crystal skies. 
A trip back round old and new towns and frankly could have spent another day here, we’d be happy to return, the knights of St. John castellated area’s magnificent and whilst some touristy shops the setting was delightful. 
Tonight sailaway was good with some opera numbers which made a change from CD ross doing Abba - it again was well done and organised. 
Tonight looking forward to Keller night in colonnade.